A record $155 million worth of equipment physically at the Gunnedah site will potentially go under the hammer in 2022.

That's despite organisers charging entry for the first time ever, as a COVID safety measure.

Entry opened and the event kicked off early on day one of AgQuip 2022, but punters still faced a long delays at the gates.

The 45-minute wait was a good sign of strong customer interest in the event, according to ACM Rural Events group manager Kate Nugent.

She said it was "a strong Tuesday" and an unusually well-attended first day.

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Tuesday's muddy fields and pregnant skies - and bulging pockets - were a stark contrast to the conditions of the last AgQuip, held during the depth of the horror 2019 drought.

"[In 2019] the farmers didn't have the money. They weren't looking to spend," she said.

"So we did change our messaging around, 'it's a day out off the land, it's a day off off the farm'. And it became highly emotive because AgQuip achieved a full house in 2019, which meant these exhibitors came, they participated, knowing they weren't going to make money - hopefully leads, which would then obviously, later translate to potential sales - the fact is that they came.

"And their faith has been rewarded."

The 49th AgQuip attracted a record number of brands, with many business units teaming up under one roof to offer a broader service to customers, Mr Nugent said.

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First-time exhibitors Calibre Country co-owners Jodie Mearns and Craig Mearns decided to give the three-day rural event the works.

"We have been bringing pallets of stuff out for two weeks and we have a lot of stock in there," she said.

"So I'm hoping by Thursday, we don't have too much to pack up and take back with us!"

Aside from its own staff, the firearms and camping supplies wholesaler also hosted representatives from their suppliers.

For keen purchasers, it was an opportunity to get access to technical know-how, right at their fingertips.

"We have about 12 [representatives]," she said.

"Shane here from Stony Creek has come all the way from New Zealand. Our Berettas reps are from Victoria."

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Peter Christie travelled all the way from Western Sydney to sell fencing machines.

For his small manufacturing company Christie Engineering, which employs a dozen people at its factory in the state capital, the agricultural event is a key opportunity to market to a broad customer base.

He said AgQuip was more than just a big supermarket.

"It's a really good one stop shop for people to come and see all the equipment in one area," he said.

"The whole idea that everyone can see everything [is good]. You get people from all walks of life from all over Australia."

Reginald Trethewey, from Deepwater, has been coming to AgQuip for 25 years.

The director and inventor behind Trethewey Industries launched a new fencing machine at AgQuip 2022.

"It's like anything; you've got to get out and launch [new equipment]," he said.

"The first thing I built, many years ago, was wool pressers. I ended up building six thousand of them. To get them launched, I went to every show every field day, all the way to Perth. And it's a great way of launching a product. But I'm not 25 anymore, so I've just come here with this one, just to test the waters."

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Ms Nugent estimated that more than 15,000 people had come through the gates on the usually-quiet first day, before the afternoon.

"It's on track today [to hit 100,000 by Thursday]. And so this is, it is very possible. This is very possible given what's happened today on Tuesday."

The first big purchases of 2022 happened right away.

"So as soon as we opened the gate this morning, within half an hour, we started to hear about it. It was an irrigation company that had sold two units, and we're talking thousands and thousands of dollars. And and so day one is already recording the sales that we'd certainly didn't hear about in our last event in 2019 and 2018," she said.

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